Riding The Clouds
by Kat Lee formerly Pirate Turner
Summary: Chris and Vin meet up on Valentine's Day. Slash.


Title: "Riding The Clouds"  
Author: Pirate Turner  
Dedicated To: My beloved Jack -- Happy Valentine's Day, my heart!!!  
Rating: PG-13 due to mild sexual content  
Summary: Vin and Chris meet up on Valentine's Day.  
Spoilers: None  
Warnings: Slash, Established Relationships, Hint of Het  
Challenge: None  
Word Count (excluding heading): 1,457  
Feedback: Yes, please!  
Archive: WWOMB, -- Anybody else, ask, and I'll probably grant permission.  
Disclaimer: Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, Ezra Standish, Inez Recillos, JD Dunne, Buck Wilmington, Josiah Sanchez, Nathan Jackson, and The Magnificent Seven are & TM CBS, The Mirisch Group, MGM, and Trilogy Entertainment, not the author, and are used without permission. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Vin stood on the boardwalk, leaning against a pole as he watched couples walking, hand in hand, down Main Street. Every one who walked by seemed to be bursting with joy at whatever their sweetheart had given them for the day, and each new couple seemed even happier than the last. Vin sighed. He wished he could take his love by his hand and lead him down the street. They wouldn't have to be going anywhere at all; he'd just like a chance to show the rest of the world that he loved his man and Chris loved him.

His shoulders sagged. He knew that would never happen. As much as they had done for the people of this town, if word ever got out of how they truly felt about each other, that they were far more than only friends, the same people who had congratulated them on their hard-earned victories and hidden behind them for protection would turn tail. If they didn't run from them in horror, they would pelt them with words or perhaps even objects and tell them that not only was Four Corners no place for them but that they should be wiped out of the world and sent straight to Hell, where, of course, they would already believe they were going.

Vin's blue eyes darkened like the gathering clouds before a storm. Why couldn't people just accept the love between two people, regardless of whether or not they were of different genders? He couldn't be surprised; he'd seen hatred over differences his entire life. Yet he couldn't help wishing for a better world where he could show the world how much he loved Chris and not fear repercussions because of it.

Vin heard a rider coming in and looked up with a smile. He could recognize the sound of Chris' horse's hooves a mile away. Despite the disappointments in the world that clouded his mind today, Vin had to smile as he watched his lover galloping toward him. Chris' black duster flapped around him like dark wings, and his blonde hair gleamed in the afternoon sun. It sparkled, calling for Vin's fingers to run through it; his fingers arched in desire.

Chris brought his horse up to stop before the saloon and didn't bother to tie her. Instead he let the reins hang loosely over the saddle. He knew she wouldn't run just as he knew that Vin would be waiting for him. He touched two fingers to the brim of his hat as he stepped up to the boardwalk, then leaned against the opposite pole from Vin's.

The men stood together in silence, watching the couples walk by, wishing that they could be amongst their number as they headed for the Valentine hoedown, and knowing that their partner was thinking the same thoughts as they were. They said not a word as they stood together yet the occasional glance spoke volumes. They could speak without talking and had ever since the first day they'd met out on that dusty road, two men joining together against a herd fueled by angry prejudice. They remembered that day quietly, each saying their thanks for the events that had brought them into each other's lives and, in so doing, brought their love to one another in their own ways.

As the street finally began to empty, Chris shifted slightly closer to Vin. His green eyes remained ever watchful as he reached over and slipped a small, wooden object into the tracker's hand. Vin's alert gaze roamed the street, met his love's eyes, checked the street again, and then finally dropped to his upturned hand.

Chris' voice was soft, barely above a whisper, as he spoke. "You already have it," he told him. "You have for years. You always will." His words were simple but to the point, and tears that he would not allow to fall shimmered in Vin's blue eyes as he gazed down at the small, wooden heart. He nodded once as he forced down the emotions that rose to form a ball in his throat. His eyes lifted, meeting Chris'. His gaze said a million things at once, though it declared nothing greater or louder than "I love you".

Chris nodded, smiled at the emotions he saw shining in his love's eyes and face, and asked, "Ready to go help me with that old, stubborn bull at my place?"

Laughter barked from Vin's throat, short and abrupt but charming to Chris nonetheless. The smile he turned on Chris sparkled in the dimming sunlight and stole his breath away. He returned his grin with a flash of his own before leading the way to their horses. Vin slipped his heart into a leather pouch he wore around his neck, hidden by his layers of clothes, before following the man who had become his leader in all the meanings of the word.

The men mounted as one, then turned away from the town and rode side by side. Little did they know that they were watched as they went. The very moment they had left the boardwalk in front of the saloon, Ezra had smiled, flashing his gold tooth at Inez. As they rode pass the stables, two more of their friends looked out.

"There they go," JD barely had time to comment before Buck pounced. He rolled the younger man into the hay, grinning from ear to ear at JD's squealing laughter.

As they rode pass the church, Josiah nodded from where he stood, looking out from a window. Nathan put down his hammer, walked up behind the preacher, wrapped his arms around him, and pressed a gentle kiss to his ear. Josiah turned in his embrace and met his love with a full, passionate kiss upon his lips.

When the Seven's leader and his partner finally reached Chris' house, Vin turned to him with questions in his eyes. "Ya think we were watched?"

Chris swung down off his horse and shook his head. "No." Yet still something stirred within his gut, telling him that they had been seen. "Even if we were, I don't care. Let 'em start something. We can handle 'em."

Vin smiled as Chris' grin eased the worry off of his shoulders. It was an understatement to say that they could handle whoever might have seen them, but he could live without more prejudice in his life. Still, if it came down to it, Vin knew he would gladly face every angry face, hate-filled gaze, and hurtful word in the whole world to keep Chris by his side.

Chris raised a hand to Vin, and Vin took it. Their hands were a perfect fit. Chris helped Vin to dismount, though he didn't need the help, and Vin slid down against Chris' body. "Seems like we been waitin' forever this time."

Chris nodded his agreement, his eyes gazing into his love's baby blues. "Been too long."

"Way too long," Vin agreed, his voice dropping to a husky whisper as Chris' mouth angled over his.

Then they were home, their mouths conquering each other's, their arms wrapped around one another's bodies, and their hands frantically searching to caress every long-missed piece of the other's body that they could reach. They stumbled backwards, neither wanting to part from the other, and against the steps. When Chris fell, Vin caught him, swept him up into his broad arms, and carried him into the house.

He kicked the door shut and took him right behind it, telling him over and over again the words he'd longed to be able to say for so long but had had to keep silent as long as there were other ears around to overhear him. Now there was no one but the two of them, and at last freedom was theirs! "I love you! I love you! I love you!" he exclaimed as his heart sang and he sprinkled kisses all over Chris' body.

Before Vin, Chris had been one to never speak of emotions, but since the handsome tracker had ridden into his life and resurrected a heart he had thought could never live again, Chris had slowly come to like being able to tell him how he felt about him. The opportunities to do so came too rarely, and so whenever he managed to grasp one, he took it for all he was worth. His voice melded with Vin's as he answered him each time, "I love you! I love you! I love you!" The ultimate joy that only Vin had ever brought him sang throughout Chris' body as he strove to bring him as much pleasure as he was feeling. Together they rode the clouds, their souls rejoicing in their union and their hearts singing with their love.

**The End**


End file.
